Vacation and drug withdrawal

[BookstoreEscapee]

So I'm on vacation this week. What's my big plan? Saturday evening I took my last dose of my antidepressant. I've been on Effexor, which is similar to the SSRI drugs like Prozac and Paxil. This particular drug has a reputation for being the most difficult to get off of, because it has a very short half life (about 5 hours, the shortest of the modern-day antidepressants) and clears your system quickly, thus making your brain go, "What the hell?!"

I cut my dose in half (from 75 to 37.5 mg) about a month and a half ago, but that is the smallest dose they make, so there are no more intermediate steps. At the beginning I felt kind of fuzzy-headed and dizzy, and rather short-tempered, which gradually got better over a few weeks; I've been on a fairly even keel for the last couple weeks, which is what I was waiting for before I stopped completely. So far today I'm feeling more or less OK, but I have a feeling things will get worse before they get better. There is a whole laundry list of potential "discontinuation syndrome" (as the drug companies call it) symptoms; I'm expecting at the very least some dizziness and nausea, since those are the symptoms that I would get when I missed a dose in the past (which I would generally start noticing by early-mid afternoon the next day). I'm getting the beginnings of a headache, which could be related, but I'm prone to headaches anyway, so it's equally likely that it's not.

On the other hand, I'm on vacation and I was up and showered before 11am. Which is not something I would normally do on a day off. It could have something to do with the fact that I couldn't sleep (woke up twice during the night after having a hard time falling asleep in the first place; insomnia is also a potential symptom, though I don't know if it's related in this case). I did all my errands and laundry and stuff yesterday, and prepared some chicken noodle soup so I can just stick a bowl in the microwave in case I'm not feeling up to fixing anything. I have some fruit (grapes and bananas) and I also got some ginger ale (which I've let get a bit flat in case I need it to settle my stomach) and Gatorade (so I can at least keep hydrated if I don't feel up to eating much).

My mother kept saying "don't think about it" and perhaps I've been reading too many horror stories on message boards (finding actual useful information without scaring myself half to death is a challenge in this age of Google), but I'm going on the "hope for the best but prepare for the worst" philosophy. Since some of the documented symptoms are kind of strange and scary (electric shock sensation, anyone? I got this book from the library, and it has some helpful stuff, including a thorough checklist of potential symptoms), I prefer to be prepared and know to expect the possibility, rather than have some weird symptoms and be terrified because I didn't know they might be related. All in all, I'm being optimistic about this and I know that any symptoms I do get will pass, and I won't be miserable forever.

So, fingers crossed and all that jazz. If anyone out there has any experiences they'd like to share, I'm all for hearing them. Words of encouragement and hugs also appreciated.

[protege]

Ugh. I was on Prozac for awhile...mainly to get my depression under control. I went off the drug, simply because I didn't like the side effects. Things like, I'd be fine one minute, then want to strangle someone the next. The last straw came after I supposedly hit my then-girlfriend. Not only did I scare the shit out of her, but myself as well. Even if I don't remember it, I'm not like that at all After that incident, I *refuse* to go on meds for my condition. I'm not going through that shit again.

[Giggle Goose]

Aww, Bookstore, you can have all the hugs you want from me!!!

How is Effexor side-effect-wise? Like for weight gain and stuff? I'm on Zoloft now and I'm scared to go off, because apparently it's very powerful stuff.

[Primer]

BE, why are you discontinuing your antidepressants? Are you doing this under a doctor's supervision? (Maybe I should be asking why you went on them in the first place.)

I'm one of those people who knows that Prozac will be with me for the rest of my life, which would be much, much shorter without it.

Good luck!!

[Der Cute]

Primer's right...
If you do this, you do it under a doctor's supervision....!!!!

I'm on Effexor. You still feeling the fizz-pops in your head? (I get those if I'm an hour or 2 behind!) You titrate this stuff DOWN SLOWLY.....with supervision.

Cutenoot

[BookstoreEscapee]

Don't worry, I've been planning this for a while, and yes I am under a doctor's supervision. And if it gets too bad and I have to go back, I still have pills left, and refills. The problem is they don't make it any smaller. But that's why I waited until I could take time off work. I have read of people resorting to opening the capsules and counting out the beads of medicine inside, but my doctor wasn't too keen on that idea (and neither am I).

I went on it 6 years ago during a low point. Whether I truly needed it then, at this point I don't really know. At the time, I just kind of did what they said. Whether I still need it now...I'm pretty sure I don't...but ultimately there's only one way to find out. If I don't, I don't want to be on this stuff for the rest of my life. In part because of things like when I accidentally miss a dose, I'm useless by the next afternoon, and the possibility that I might (someday) want to have kids, and etc.

I'm prepared for symptoms, both physical and emotional, my roommate is around and my parents and doctor are only a phone call away. I posted this here because I knew I could count on people here for support. I've wanted to do this before and I've put it off more than once. The first time I mentioned it to my doctor, his response was "well, you know you don't have do ever go off it" which was a response I did not care for. (That was a couple years ago, at least.) When I brought it up with my current doctor (and the one I saw before her, who is no longer with the practice), she was open to the idea and asked questions about why I wanted to and all that. She also suggested I wait until the spring/summer, because at the time it was January (and Pablo happened to have been put to sleep the night before I saw her). She feels that doing it when there is more daylight and it's easier to get fresh air and sunshine makes it easier. So I waited and went back in May, and we talked more, and she wrote me a new prescription for the next dose down. So don't worry, this was not some kind of spur-of-the-moment decision.

Giggle Goose - When I first started it I felt like I was drunk for a week - dizzy, unsteady, etc. I didn't notice any particular weight gain at the beginning, though I have gained weight over the last year or two...whether it's related to the drugs I don't know. I read somewhere that some of them can cause weight loss at first but then weight gain over the longer term...whether that's true of Effexor specifically I don't know. I also went from a retail job on my feet all day to an office job, about 3 years ago so that could be a factor, too.

[ditchdj]

After that incident, I *refuse* to go on meds for my condition. I'm not going through that shit again.

You know what I do when I get worked up over something or someone like that? I go and work out. Put all that hostility into pumping out pushups or lifting weights. That way you're taking something that can hurt you and turning it into something that will benefit you. Besides, if you're young and you wanna continue to feel like you're young as you get older you'll need to do that anyway.

[Der Cute]

Ok, as long as you're under supervision....I'm cool.

How ya feeling?

Cutenoob

[BookstoreEscapee]

Ok, as long as you're under supervision....I'm cool.

How ya feeling?

Cutenoob

So far, OK. I have a headache, and a little dizziness on and off, but not too bad. I took a nap this afternoon (which seems to have made my head worse ) and I'm going to fix something to eat in a bit.

[cinema guy]

Congrats on coming off them. I've been off anti-depressants for about 4 years now. Coming off them is a good feeling because it means you are pretty much 'cured'.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Congrats on coming off them. I've been off anti-depressants for about 4 years now. Coming off them is a good feeling because it means you are pretty much 'cured'.

Thanks. I hope that's true. I can say I'm in a much better place - in my life, in my head - than I was when I started it.

I will say, even though from what I've read - that Effexor is a drug that a lot of people "hate to have taken" because it's so hard to get off of - I do think that at the time I started it, it did help. Could I have done other things with the same effect? Probably. But I won't say I regret having taken it in the first place.

[ArcticChicken]

Mmm, I remember when I was coming off my antidepressants, the thing I noticed was that I could feel again. I hadn't really notice how....flat I was until I started being able to cry at movies again. Of course, for a couple weeks or a month or so, I burst into tears at commercials too, but...

[BookstoreEscapee]

Mmm, I remember when I was coming off my antidepressants, the thing I noticed was that I could feel again. I hadn't really notice how....flat I was until I started being able to cry at movies again. Of course, for a couple weeks or a month or so, I burst into tears at commercials too, but...

I have noticed that I've been feeling kind of flat, as you put it. I didn't realize until I started really thinking about it, but that's been going on for quite a while. I've never been a big movie-crier, but I did notice when I cut the dose initially that I was a little more emotional in general.

I didn't sleep too well again last night; I woke up a few times during the night to go to the bathroom, then woke up early and read for a bit; it's 10:37 as I type this and I just got out of the shower. Feeling a bit more dizziness today, but otherwise I'm OK. It's sort of a constant low-level dizziness or fuzziness with flashes of more intense dizzies (sort of like a head rush) every few minutes or so. But not enough to make me fall down or anything, or keep me in bed. I am being careful walking around, though. Haven't noticed anything I'd call a "fizz-pop" or zap sensation, though.

[Becks]

Ahhhh, Effexor. What keeps the MOTH™ more stable than lithium alone.

Good luck with everything!!!!

[technical.angel]

I'm glad to know that you're doing this with doc supervision. I tried it without it, and that didn't work well. Of course, I'm stupid enough to have tried cold turkey.

I tried Effexor way back in the day, before my surgery. I don't remember what side effect I couldn't stand, I think it was the dizzies, but I stopped it. Right now, I'm on :: gets out her laundry list ::

Lexapro
Abilify
Adderal
Gambepetin
Atenlol

I hate taking pills.